The present invention relates to a condenser which is employed in a refrigeration cycle in an air conditioning apparatus or the like for a vehicle.
The condenser which is employed in the refrigeration cycle in the air conditioning apparatus for the vehicle comprises a pair of header pipes. One of the header pipes is provided with a liquid tank for storing a cooling medium which has been condensed and liquidized by cooling, while the other header pipe is provided with auxiliary machinery parts such as a pressure switch, etc.
The auxiliary machinery parts such as the pressure switch are generally provided at some midpoints of a pipe which connects the header pipe and an expansion valve. Besides, it has been known that the auxiliary machinery parts are directly fitted to the header pipe without employing the connecting pipe, as disclosed in Japanese Publication No. JP-A-9-257337 of unexamined Patent
In the former case in which the auxiliary machinery part is provided at a midpoint of the pipe, a block for fitting the auxiliary machinery part must be retrofitted to the pipe by welding. This will take additional working steps, and is not favorable in respect of both working steps and cost.
In the latter case in which the auxiliary machinery part is directly fitted to the header pipe, the auxiliary machinery part will be largely bulged outward from the header pipe. Therefore, the auxiliary machinery part is apt to interfere with other functional parts when it is installed in an engine room, and subjected to a serious restriction for installation. There still remains another problem, in some cases, that since there is no ample working space, a mounting work of a connecting coupler for sending a signal to the auxiliary machinery part will become worse.
For these reasons, it has been considered that the entire width of the condenser is reduced so that it may not bulge, which, however, will incur deterioration of radiation efficiency. It has been also considered that the auxiliary machinery part is mounted directly above the liquid tank. However, this will lead to another problem that an inner capacity of the liquid tank will be decreased.
In view of the above, an object of the invention is to provide a condenser which will overcome the above described problems.
In order to achieve the above described object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a condenser which comprises a plurality of cooling tubes connected and communicated with one another in multisteps in a vertical direction bridging a pair of header pipes, one of the header pipes being provided with a liquid tank for storing a cooling medium in a liquid phase which has been condensed and liquidized by cooling, characterized in that an auxiliary machinery part is fitted to a peripheral wall face of the liquid tank.
With this arrangement, a larger mounting area than that of the header pipe will be secured on the peripheral wall face of the liquid tank, and therefore, the auxiliary machinery part can be easily mounted. Moreover, the arrangement is very favorable in respect of allowability of mounting.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the auxiliary machinery part is disposed at a side of a front face of the condenser.
With this arrangement, a mounting work of the auxiliary machinery part after the condenser has been installed in an engine room can be easily conducted from a forward side of a front part of the engine room.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the auxiliary machinery part is mounted widthwise and disposed in proximity to a front face of the condenser.
With this arrangement, because a thickness of the condenser in a back and forth direction can be made small, the auxiliary machinery part can be mounted without reducing a heat radiation area of the condenser and an inner capacity of the liquid tank, and allowability of the installation space will be increased.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the auxiliary machinery part is fitted to a lower zone of the liquid tank.
With this arrangement, it will be possible to dispose the auxiliary machinery part in a stable cooling medium in a liquid phase, and therefore, measuring accuracy of the pressure switch or the like, for example, will be improved.
As described, according to the invention, the larger mounting area than that of the header pipe will be secured on the peripheral wall face of the liquid tank, and therefore, the auxiliary machinery part can be easily mounted. Moreover, the arrangement is very favorable in respect of the allowability of mounting.
Moreover, the mounting work of the auxiliary machinery part can be easily conducted from the forward side of the front part of the engine room, and the arrangement is very favorable in respect of workability.
Because the thickness of the condenser in the back and forth direction can be made small, and the auxiliary machinery part can be fitted to the lower zone of the liquid tank, the allowability of the installation space will be increased. It is also possible to dispose the auxiliary machinery part in the stable cooling medium in the liquid phase, and therefore, the measuring accuracy of the pressure switch or the like will be improved.
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter contained in Japanese patent application No. Hei. 11-209598 (filed on Jul. 23, 1999), which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.